Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lightmouse (talk | contribs) at 12:50, 21 November 2008 (→Objection to non-MOS date conversions). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Script to add some metric units with just one click

Thanks for the note on my talk page.

I just pretended I was a typical, naive Misplaced Pages editor and tried it out here at South Beach (nightclub).

Now, can you go fix that and make it a proper conversion? Gene Nygaard (talk) 16:25, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

I would be delighted to make the change, if you can tell me what you define as 'proper conversion'. Lightmouse (talk) 16:37, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

It isn't correct, is it? What in the world would it mean to "reduce the temperature ... by −7 °C"? Is that the same as raising the temperature by 7 °C?

In any case, that conversion is clearly wrong. And you, like many naive users grabbing ahold of a black box like this, cannot even see the problem even when it is pointed out to you that a problem exists.

The point is, a black box like this maybe "fixes some common errors" as you claimed on my talk page. But on the other hand, it can easily introduce various other types of common errors, as I have just demonstrated. It should say that it reduces the temperature by 10 °C, for the precision of the original measurement (though I'd accept "by 11 °C" as a poorer alternative). Gene Nygaard (talk) 16:45, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

I know that reducing the temperature by x degrees is not the same as a temperature of x. The script currently can't discriminate between those two instances and I am not sure if it ever could. The code is intended as a tool to supplement, not substitute, human skills.

• Are you saying that you like the script in general but would like it to be improved?
• Or are you saying that you don't like the script and think it should not be available to users?

Lightmouse (talk) 17:08, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

I doubt Gene could have been clearer: the script is not working, and should not be available until it has been fixed. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 20:02, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Warning regarding unlinking of dates

As this practice (and the actual manual of style guideline) are currently in dispute, you should probably back off of unlinking dates until the dispute is resolved. Prior ArbCom cases have looked unfavorably on editors who attempt to force through disputed changes on a massive scale as you (and other editors) are doing. Specifically, Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Episodes_and_characters_2/Proposed_decision#Fait_accompli, which I quote:

Editors who are collectively or individually making large numbers of similar edits, and are apprised that those edits are controversial or disputed, are expected to attempt to resolve the dispute through discussion. It is inappropriate to use repetition or volume in order to present opponents with a fait accompli or to exhaust their ability to contest the change. This applies to many editors making a few edits each, as well as a few editors making many edits.

— Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Episodes_and_characters_2/Proposed_decision#Fait_accompli

Continuing this behavior could be considered disruption. Please stop and instead participate in the ongoing discussions at WT:MOSNUM and elsewhere. —Locke Cole • t • c 05:06, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Hey Lightmouse, just so you don't miss it, here's a question I asked of you at WT:MOSNUM: "Is it possible for you to publish some statistics on how many pages your bot visited, how many delinks were made (per page avg. and total #), and how many complaints on how many pages you received? That would give us an idea of the degree of acceptance, or not, of your bot's actions."--Goodmorningworld (talk) 16:34, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Objection to non-MOS date conversions

Changing all dates from US standard to Commonwealth standard is not consistent with MOS. In my view, this is unhelpful, unwanted, unjustified. Please fix the problem you have contrived.

• November 20, 2008-format is universally converted by you to
• 20 November 2008-format?

1. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Scotland (1906)‎; 11:16 . . (-26) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
2. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Russia‎; 11:16 . . (-41) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
3. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Japan (1930)‎; 11:16 . . (-17) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
4. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Japan (1891)‎; 11:16 . . (-31) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
5. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Ireland‎; 11:15 . . (-97) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
6. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of India (1891)‎; 11:15 . . (-25) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
7. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of France (1914)‎; 11:15 . . (-14) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
8. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of China (1891)‎; 11:15 . . (-26) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
9. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Canada (1961)‎; 11:15 . . (-2) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
10. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Canada (1929)‎; 11:14 . . (-25) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
11. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Canada (1922)‎; 11:14 . . (-22) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
12. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Britain (1931)‎; 11:14 . . (-108) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
13. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Britain (1906)‎; 11:14 . . (-29) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
14. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Australia‎; 11:14 . . (-106) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)
15. (diff) (hist) . . RMS Empress of Asia‎; 11:14 . . (-26) . . Lightmouse (Talk | contribs) (Date audit per mosnum/overlink/Other using AWB)

--Tenmei (talk) 12:38, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Which article? Lightmouse (talk) 12:39, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

The MOS says:

• Articles on topics with strong ties to a particular English-speaking country should generally use the more common date format for that nation. For the U.S. this is month before day; for most others it is day before month. Articles related to Canada may use either format consistently.
• In certain subject areas the customary format may differ from the usual national one: for example, articles on the modern U.S. military often use day before month, in accordance with usage in that field.

I hope that helps. Lightmouse (talk) 12:50, 21 November 2008 (UTC)